


i suppose he's nice

by ConvenientAlias



Category: Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Genre: F/M, First Impressions, Gen, Gossip, Matchmaking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-01-23 14:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConvenientAlias/pseuds/ConvenientAlias
Summary: Jordan didn't understand why Daisy was so fond of Nick.





	i suppose he's nice

Jordan didn’t understand why Daisy was so very fond of Nick. And she was fond. She didn’t mention him often, and she barely ever saw him—he hadn’t come to her wedding or visited her and Tom more than once or twice since—so he was hardly a part of her life. When she did mention him, though, she always smiled, even though what she had to say about him was rarely interesting.

For example, she once said, of a book Tom had started reading, “I think Nick mentioned that book once.”

It was a well known fact that Tom had no taste in literature. Jordan raised an eyebrow. “Your cousin Nick?”

He was only brought up occasionally, but the tone of Daisy’s voice, warm but not nostalgic as she sometimes got, was familiar.

Daisy nodded.

“Did he like it?”

Daisy laughed. “I don’t think so. But of course he didn’t say.” She shook her head. “Nick doesn’t like to disapprove of things. But he’s so obvious.”

Another time, she mentioned that she had heard rumors that Nick was engaged.

Jordan said, “Will you be going to the wedding, then?”

“It would serve him right if I didn’t,” Daisy said. “After he missed mine. But no. I will go, and  I will weep like a proud mother.” She clutched her chest and stared off into the distance for a moment, mock-tragic. Then she relaxed. “Of course, the engagement isn’t official yet.”

Jordan shrugged. “Maybe he won’t get married after all.”

“Maybe not.”  Daisy bit her lip. “I wish he would.”

“Why? Does his consistent singleness threaten your marital bliss? Tempt you to a sordid affair?”

Daisy laughed again. She always laughed when she talked about Nick. Jordan didn’t think it so ridiculous to imagine Daisy having an affair, though, not with Tom’s behavior, and she knew Daisy felt the same. No, it was Nick making Daisy laugh. Always Nick.

“Don’t be silly, Jordan,” Daisy said when she was done laughing. “It’s Nick.”

“He’s only your second cousin once removed, barely a relative at all. And you seem fond enough.”

“It’s Nick,” Daisy repeated. “I’m sure about half my cousins are in love with me. Most men are. But he’s Nick. An absolute darling, of course, but…” She shrugged. “I’m so happy to hear he might be engaged. We’ve all been very worried.”

“So he’s bad with women?”

“He is a very good friend to women,” Daisy said. And she let it go at that.

It all made Jordan very curious about Nick. Any man could make Daisy smile in person; she was easily pleased. But she would rend their character to Jordan afterwards, tell her all about how they were boring or presumptuous or one thing or another. Nick seemed to be the exception to the rule. Daisy had critiques, of course—too bookish, too shy, too unworldly, not able to move past the war—but they were mild, much milder than she usually would have been.

When Jordan heard Nick would finally be in town, moving to New York for the foreseeable future, she was ready for someone extraordinary.

What she got was a man who looked something like Daisy, but not very much, who made pleasant conversation, who listened to Tom and Daisy speak at length without saying much himself except to urge them on, who said very little about himself at all. “You remind me of a rose,” Daisy said that evening. Jordan could agree in one aspect—roses didn’t talk much either, and were largely decoration.

When she and Daisy spoke about him next, it was a couple days later. “You were charmed,” Daisy said. “Admit it, you were charmed. I saw the two of you chatting.”

More like Jordan had gossiped to him a little while he said hardly anything. “Well, he’s nice, I suppose.”

“Are you interested?”

“Mm. Don’t try to matchmake us, dear. My slate is quite full for the summer. I’ll be dreadfully busy.”

“Then,” Daisy said, “I suppose I could find him someone else. Perhaps Julia Hanson, her family’s decent and she might be just about Nick’s type…”

Something in Jordan prickled in irritation. “Julia Hanson? Come off it. That prim idiot?”

“Would you be jealous?”

“He’s your cousin. You might do better by him.”

“Then do you have any better idea?”

“No need to pair him off, is there?” Jordan lit a cigarette. “If you want, I’ll keep him company for the summer. At least he won’t be bored. And if he hasn’t found a girl for himself by the end of that, you can send anyone at him you like.”

“But you aren’t interested?”

“Darling, I’m never seriously interested in anyone. Do you want me to break your dear cousin’s heart?”

Daisy nodded. “All right then, Jordan. I’ll leave it all to you.” She touched Jordan’s arm. “I appreciate it. I should just warn you… he might break your heart instead, if you’re not careful.”

Jordan snorted. “I doubt that.” There was nothing so special about Nick Carraway that she could see, no matter how Daisy liked him. Sure, he made you want to talk, but anyone could do that. She liked someone with more energy, more charisma. She wouldn’t get pulled in by his type. Though Daisy might, of course, believe what she liked. She always did.

**Author's Note:**

> I found about half of this lying around in a document, so I thought I'd finish it up and post it. Hope you like it :)


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